Summer 2008 Newsletter

Greetings and welcome to the C2D2 Summer Newsletter! We’re pleased to bring you information about interesting projects, helpful resources, and events and trainings coming up across Canada and beyond.

If you would like to submit something for our Fall 2008 newsletter, send us your submissions by Sept. 2, 2008. Please include a 1-2 sentence summary statement along with a brief text with contact information and a web link. Send your submission to: c2d2newslettergmail [dot] com

Newsletter Policy: We welcome stories about good dialogue and deliberation (D&D) practices, research or articles discussing D&D, profiles of interesting D&D projects, profiles of D&D organizations or leaders, non-partisan or multi-partisan public events related to D&D, and D&D training opportunities or job opportunities.

 

Recent & Upcoming Projects

 

Canada’s World Invites Citizens to Envision a Foreign Policy for the Future
Housed at the SFU Centre for Dialogue in Vancouver Canada’s World (www.canadasworld.ca) is spending three years inspiring great conversations on Canada’s role in the world. At this stage, the middle of year two and the midway point of the project, CW has successfully organized eight two-and-a-half day regional dialogues across the country, a large all-day dialogue on the global food crisis and numerous smaller dialogues with community organizations. Part of the project entails experimenting with different ways of engaging in dialogue on foreign policy, and they report they are learning as they go. In addition to developing a citizens’ agenda for action on Canada’s role in the world, the project’s aim is to make their findings available to the broader community of dialogue practitioners, in order to advance knowledge on methods of fostering public engagement with complex issues.

CW is not an organization, but a collaboration of many institutions, organizations and individuals who wish to create a new vision for Canada’s international policy. As such, they are encouraging Canadians to self-organize, and have worked on developing guides to allow them to do so. They would love to know of other resources that could be adapted to help Canadians host their own conversations on Canada’s role in the world. They’re also particularly interested in successful online engagement projects, as this is an area they are just beginning to explore with a blog at canadasworld.wordpress.com. Please contact Online Community Facilitator Reilly Yeo atreillycanadasworld [dot] ca with any questions or suggestions.

 

French Region Poitou-Charentes Leads Europe in Citizen Engagement 
Led by regional president Ségolène Royal, the Poitou-Charentes regional government in France has established two cutting edge citizen engagement efforts that should be great inspiration for Canadian practitioners. Since 2005, all high school students, teachers parents and staff in the Poitou-Charentes region have been able to participate in allocating funds to their schools. The participatory budgeting process oversees the allocation of 10 million Euros annually. This spring, the Poitou-Charentes region convened a Citizens’ Jury on Climate Change, which has just issued its first report. This regional effort is linked to citizens’ juries in Spain and Germany, in an effort to co-ordinate participatory policy development across Europe. Learn more about these initiatives atwww.democratie-participative.fr.

 

Ontario Government Establishes Citizens’ Council on Drug Funding 
For the first time in Canada, a Citizens' Council is being created to help inform Ontario's prescription drug funding policy. With new drugs constantly coming to market and limited public funds available, drug funding decisions have become increasingly complex. The McGuinty government is encouraging Ontarians from all backgrounds and corners of the province to apply for the Ontario Citizens' Council.

Composed of 25 individuals representing a cross-section of ages, cultures and regions of the province, the Citizens' Council will meet twice annually to reflect upon pressing matters of provincial drug policy and to give advice to the government. Following each meeting, the Council will provide a report to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, and to the Executive Officer of the Ontario Public Drug Programs. Follow this process atwww.ontario.ca/citizencouncil.

CPRN to Conduct Youth Dialogues on Out-migration in Newfoundland and Labrador
In the coming months, young people in Newfoundland and Labrador will be engaged in a province-wide dialogue conducted by Canadian Policy Research Networks (CPRN) in support of making the province their place of choice to live and work.  This will support the development of the province's Youth Retention and Attraction Strategy, which the Honourable Danny Williams, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador announced on June 5, 2008.  Ten dialogues will be held with young people aged 18 to 30 in each rural secretariat region of the province in September 2008 with two additional out of province dialogues.  A Provincial Youth Summit with 160 randomly selected dialogue participants and 40 decision-makers will be held in November 2008.

For more information about the project, visit CPRN’s website at www.cprn.org or contact Nicole Pollack atnpollackcprn [dot] org.

 

Dialogues on Multiculturalism in British Columbia
For the past two years Simon Fraser University’s Wosk Centre for Dialogue (www.sfu.ca/dialogue) has worked closely with 13 rural communities around BC to support community-led dialogues on what it means to be a welcoming and inclusive community. These dialogues are part of the Provincial Ministry of the Attorney General and the Minister Responsible for Multiculturalism’s pilot initiative to bring community dialogues to diverse parts of the province, particularly smaller rural communities.

Each community committee collaborated with Dialogue Programs’ planners to determine the focus and format of the dialogue to fit their own priorities and circumstances. For example: Smithers, BC’s Bridging Committee chose to focus on questions related to, “What is harmony?” and explored what living in harmony between all cultural groups in the Bulkley Valley would look like. Terrace’s Diversity Society explored community potential, while Duncan’s asked, “What is diversity?” The questions and concerns of the host communities are as diverse as they are, yet they share a passion for community that embraces all its citizens. Read about their findings here:www.sfu.ca/dialogue/pdf/cw-spring08.pdf .

 

Join Conversation Week 2009
C2D2 members and supporters are invited to help double the impact of Conversation Week for 2009. Conversation Week (CW) is the annual event organized by Conversation Café (www.conversationcafe.org) – a process that creates a gateway into profound dialogue, using the minimum structure possible. CW 2008 brought together 1500 people in 39 countries participated in suggesting and selecting ten questions as the most important ones in the world today.  Then, 150 hosts and 2500 participants in 24 countries --including many in Canada, from Victoria to Ontario-- explored those questions using the simple but powerful in Conversation Café process. Dozens of people also convened online through Global Mindshift and Second Life.

To host a conversation or join the steering committee for Conversation Week 2009, contact Susan Partnow,susanconversationcafe [dot] org .

 

Research & Resources

 

New Article on Communication Strategies for Intercultural D & D

C2D2 Member Marcella LaFever sent us word of her article “Communication for Public Decision-Making in a Negative Historical Context: Building Intercultural Relationships in the British Columbia Treaty Process,” published in the May 2008 issue of The Journal of International and Intercultural Communication. The journal is new this year and looks like it could be an important resource for D & D practitioners. Seewww.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a793489477~db=all~order=page

In the article Marcella argues that “Culturally marginalized groups that have been historically excluded from such participation, and who utilize communication patterns that differ from the dominant culture, cannot take all the responsibility for becoming engaged.” The study uses data from the BC Treaty Process to discuss “communication structures, attitudes, and behaviors that dominant culture groups must adopt in order to build positive long-term relationships for public engagement with historically marginalized cultural groups.” Thanks Marcella!

 

Public Agenda “Primer on Public Engagement” Available Online
The US public engagement firm Public Agenda (www.publicagenda.org) has posted its Primer on Public Engagement online. In a few short pages, the Primer explains how public engagement helps create civic capacity for public problem solving, offers 10 core principles of effective public engagement and enlists a few examples of key practices and strategies. The Primer also describes the power of “Citizen Choicework,” a critical element in many deliberative processes.
  
Some other essentials covered in the Primer include how to convene authentic public engagement vs. business as usual; capacity-building vs. event-oriented approaches to engagement; responding thoughtfully and conscientiously to the public’s involvement; building long-term capacity and the strengths and weaknesses of various engagement approaches and strategies. 
  
The PDF is available for free download at:http://publicagenda.org/pubengage/pdfs/public_engagement_primer.pdf . More information is available through Public Agenda’s Center for Advances in Public Engagement at: http://publicagenda.org/pubengage/pe_cape.cfm .

 

Jan Inglis Articles Tackle Pressing D&D Challenges
C2D2 member Jan Inglis wrote to tell us about two new articles she has published. “How Then Shall We Live: Facing the Climate Crisis and Seeking "the Meta Response"  describes a  growing sense of avoidance or hopelessness which can possibly block our ability to respond to the climate crisis.  So as to better address the climate crisis the importance of connecting the field of Dialogue and Deliberation to the resources in the field of Adult Development is advocated and a meta approach or “the Gaia approach” is proposed. Read the article in the Integral Review at http://integral-review.org/documents/Inglis,%20How%20Then%20Do%20We%20Choose%20to%20Live,%20Vol.4%20No.1.pdf

In “Matching Public Interaction Skills with Desired Outcomes” Jan presents the ‘Scale of Public Interactions’ as a useful and graphic way to stimulate observations of the different levels of complexity required in public interactions  depending on the complexity of the public issues we wish to address, and the outcomes we wish to produce.  The Scale points to a gap that exists between the most common forms of public interaction and those required to achieve comprehensive social change indicating that a developmentally-designed process must be learned and employed to bridge this gap. Check it out in the International Journal of Public Participation:http://www.iap2.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=251

 

CSDI Large Scale Public Engagement Conference Proceedings Online
The UBC Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions (CSDI) has created an online video archive of its conference “When Citizens Decide: The Challenges of Large Scale Public Engagement.” Watch presentations online at : http://democracy.ubc.ca/index.php?id=11802

Over May 1-2 2008, the conference brought together researchers and practitioners from the UK, Netherlands, US and Canada to discuss future challenges for large scale public engagement efforts, including relationships to the media and to other political institutions. The conference also presented new research comparing the three Citizens’ Assemblies on Electoral Reform in BC, Ontario and the Netherlands, and discussed the applicability of the Citizens’ Assembly model for consultation on other public policy issues.

 

Influenza Pandemic Consultation Guide Online
C2D2 co-chair Miriam Wyman and board member Jackie Dale were involved recently in the Public Health Agency of Canada’s public consultations around their pandemic influenza plan. This consultation process included a series of day and a half deliberative dialogues with citizens and stakeholders. They write, “It is, in our view, a good example of the use of deliberative dialogue for a genuine and complex policy question.  It was well received and was subjected to rigorous evaluation both throughout the process as well as with organizers and decision makers when it was all over.” To learn about the process, read the participant workbook, or download the final report on the consultations, visit www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/influenza/antiviralprev_e.html .

 

CODI Archive Offers Resources for Organizational Change 
The Canadian Organization Development Institute (CODI) hosts a website archive of useful articles for organizational development and change. According to the site, the goal of the archive “is to build a broad, accessible and stimulating body of articles, tools and internet links for the OD and Change community.” Check out articles on everything from alternatives to hierarchy to teambuilding to organizational learning at:http://odcanada.org/The%20CODI%20Archive.htm

If you are an author of articles or tools that you wish to post on the site for properly credited, public access, please submit them to CODI Managing Director, Jeff Solway, at infoodcanada [dot] org. If you know of internet resources in the public domain that you wish to recommend, please submit those links as well. 

 

Events

 

World Open Space Technology Gathering Set for July in San Francisco
Join with facilitation colleagues from around the world who use Open Space for everything from high conflict work in world hot spots to task and strategy work in corporations and communities.  The World Open Space on Open Space (WOSonOS) is an annual international gathering of people who use Open Space – several days in and about Open Space – July 23 – 26 in San Francisco USA. 

Harrison Owen, originator of the method, will kick off the events with an Author Evening on July 22 and the launch of the newest, Third Edition of “Open Space Technology: A User’s Guide” – the fundamental book on how to facilitate Open Space. The welcome reception is July 23, after which they will jump into Open Space July 24-26.  They are also offering a pre-conference workshop for those of you who have not yet learned or experienced this process for convening 10 to 2000+ people in dialogue.  Originated in 1985, Open Space has been used in over 130 countries and a rich diversity of settings and cultures, for everything from strategic planning to conflict transformation to designing an airplane door. For more information and to register, see www.wosonos2008.org . If you have any questions contact Lisa Heft at lisaheftopeningspace [dot] net (lisaheftopeningspace [dot] net ).

 

Communities Collaborating Institute 2008 Coming Up Sep. 15-19
Over the past two years, Tamarack – An Institute for Community Engagement has convened a powerful learning community, engaging with incredible speakers, a phenomenal practitioner’s panel and workshops full of rich content at the Communities Collaborating Institute. Become a member of this powerful learning community, and join some of Canada’s most renowned and respected authorities on collaboration at the Communities Collaborating Institute in Kitchener, Ontario, from September 15-19, 2008. Learn more at:http://tamarackcommunity.ca/cci2008.html

 

Dalar International Mentoring Circle Conference Coming Up in September
Dalar International Consultancy (www.dalarinternational.com) is organizing a Mentoring Circle Conference in Virginia Beach, VA September 29-30, 2008. Participants will join leaders, managers, consultants, and facilitators from around the world interested in leadership and organizational development at the 7th Annual GenuineContact Conference This year’s conference theme is “Issues and Opportunities for Leading at the Edge.” For more information about the conference program and registration, visitwww.dalarinternational.com/gc_mentoring.htm.

 

Register by July 31st for TLC Conference “Learning Democracy By Doing”
Registration for the October 16-18, 2008 Conference “Learning Democracy by Doing: Alternative Practices in Citizenship Learning and Participatory Democracy” is now open. Hosted by the Transformative Learning Centre (TLC) at OISE/The University of Toronto, the conference will gather international scholars to discuss innovations in democratic practice and how they impact citizenship learning. Early registration closes on July 31st, 2008. For more details, visit http://tlc.oise.utoronto.ca/wordpress/conferences/october2008/registration-72418768

 

Register now for the 2008 NCDD Conference in Austin
C2D2's sister organization, the US National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation (NCDD - www.thataway.org), will hold its biennial conference this year in Austin, Texas. NCDD’s high-energy, highly participatory conferences bring together practitioners, scholars, public leaders, trainers, artists, activists, teachers, and students from all of the various streams of practice that exist in this critically important field. Join them in Austin for the fourth National Conference on Dialogue & Deliberation: Creating Cultures of Collaboration. NCDD Austin will take place October 3rd through 5th, 2008 - with pre-conference workshops on the 2nd and a 2-day training opportunity on the 6th and 7th.

Learn more about registration, discounts for students and NCDD members, etc. Registration is only $375. A draft schedule for the conference is online at www.thataway.org/events/?page_id=113.

 

Training Opportunities

 

Fielding Graduate University Announces 5th Graduate Certificate in D & D
Fielding Graduate University’s Graduate Level Certificate Program in Dialogue, Deliberation, and Public Engagement will be held this year from August 15, 2008 – January 15, 2009. This distinctive program focuses on recent innovations in dialogue, deliberation, and public engagement featuring outstanding faculty who have played key roles in developing these approaches.

Designed and delivered in collaboration with The International Institute for Sustained Dialogue, the Kettering Foundation, and the Public Dialogue Consortium, the program features an outstanding faculty of scholar-practitioners (Hal Saunders, Barnett Pearce, Phil Stewart, Keith Melville, Jan Elliott, John Dedrick, Linda Blong, Kath Fisher). It also features guests in Phone Dialogues who are widely recognized scholars and innovative practitioners. Previous featured guests have included: Martha McCoy, Carolyn Lukensmeyer, Juanita Brown, Bob Stains, Shawn Spano, Frank Barrett, Joe Peters, Janette Hartz-Karp and Jim Fishkin. Participants will learn with others from different backgrounds and countries who share your energy and enthusiasm for this work. Learn in two face to face workshops, online, on the phone with world renowned practitioners. For a course outline and to check out other testimonials see http://www.fielding.edu/hod/ce/dialog/index.html

Tuition is US$3490 if you register by the early bird deadline of July 15, 2008. NCDD members’ tuition is US$ 3,140 (10% discount). Registrants enrolling after July 15 will be charged US$3,740 (NCDD members: US$3,390). To register go to www.fielding.edu/forms/ce/ce_registration.htm

To learn more join an informational teleconference. To register for a call contact Nathan LewinNlewinfielding [dot] edu . Check for call dates on the website.

 

Register by July 15 for CODI Organizational Development and Change Training
The Canadian Organization Development Institute (CODI) will be offering its Fundamentals in Organization Development and Change program starting September 24, 2008. Registration ends July 15. The 20-day, five-module Fundamentals program consists of five, 4-day modules, spread over eight months. Participants learn how to manage conflict and effect change through teambuilding, strategic planning, and can be certified as an Organization Development and Change professional.

Marilyn Laiken, Professor of Adult Education and Counselling Psychology at the University of Toronto, teaches two sessions each year, one beginning in September, and one beginning in January. Maximum class size is 20. ­ The Fundamentals session that began in January is now nearing completion  with continuing rave reviews from the participants. For participant comments, visit www.odcanada.org/Testimonials.htm.

A limited number of places are still available at reduced fees for people in the non-profit, healthcare, and government sectors, and to graduate students in related fields. For more on this, see our website. For more information, contact CODI Managing Director, Jeff Solway, at infoodcanada [dot] org, or call him at 416-319-0412. 

 

Registration for Fall Corporate Circles Workshops Now Open
This fall Maureen Fitzgerald is offering her two-day Corporate Circles workshop in Calgary on October 16-17 and Vancouver on November 13-14. Go to www.CenterPointInc.com to sign up. In a Corporate Circle a group comes together in a confidential and candid conversation over a few hours. Workshop participants will learn how to transform, not just resolve conflict using restorative circle practices. Individuals are able to share their own and appreciate others’ perspectives, overcome negative feelings, and move toward a more positive future. The cost is $395 for each day plus GST.

Maureen F. Fitzgerald, PhD, is a lawyer and expert in conflict and collaboration. She is the author of six books and the president of CenterPoint – a company dedicated to resolving conflict and building trusting teams. She has a business degree, two law degrees and has taught at two universities. Maureen leads seminars around the world and can be reached at www.CenterPointInc.com.

 

New Workshop on Leading Community D & D
Jan Inglis and Sara Ross have developed a new workshop: “Helping Communities Make Good Decisions: A 3 day Training Workshop.” This workshop is for facilitators and consultants who wish to assist communities to address their complex issues by using a user friendly series of  steps to analyze and map the root causes of problematic issues, engage multi perspective responses, focus priorities, and generate solutions. It provides a new approach to developing deliberative decision making forums that include consideration of options, perspectives, implications and tradeoffs so that people arrive at decisions they can knowledgeably support and act upon.

For more information go to www.integrativelearninginstitute.com/programs.htm or contact Jan Inglis atinfointegrativelearninginstitute [dot] com.

 

Innovations in Collaborative Decision Making 
The Diploma in Dialogue and Negotiation at Simon Fraser University will be accepting applications for its third cohort to begin April 2009. The program is designed for mid-career professionals from a cross-section of non-profit organizations, businesses, labour unions, First Nations organizations, and government agencies. It is intended for individuals who are directly involved in planning policies and programs, negotiating agreements, resolving conflicts, consulting with communities, making decisions, developing human resources, and otherwise managing organizational change. The main objectives of the program are to advance participants’ understanding of consensus-based approaches and to enhance their skills in applying such approaches in identifying individual, group and organization needs, building agreements, making decisions and achieving sustainable results while maintaining effective working relationships.

For more information and to download an application form, visit www.sfu.ca/dialogue/diploma.htm. 

 

Register Now for Fall IAP2 Certificate Training 
The Canadian Trainers Collective in collaboration with Dialogue Partners (DP) is pleased to offer both the IAP2 Certificate Training and the Dialogue Partners courses in various locations across Canada in 2008. Some up-coming training courses include:

St. John’s, NL

IAP2 - Planning for Effective Public Participation : September 29th & 30th, 2008
IAP2 - Effective Communication for Public Participation : October 1st, 2008
IAP2 - Techniques for Effective Public Participation : October 2nd & 3rd, 2008

Whitehorse, YT

DP - Group Facilitation Skills for Public Engagement : September 29th & 30th,2008
IAP2 - Planning for Effective Public Participation : October 1st & 2nd, 2008

Niagara Region, ON

IAP2 - Planning for Effective Public Participation : October 20th & 21st, 2008
IAP2 - Effective Communication for Public Participation : October 22nd , 2008
IAP2 - Techniques for Effective Public Participation : October 23rd & 24th, 2008

Calgary, AB

DP - Calming Conflict and Controversy in Multi-Stakeholder Engagement : October 20th, 2008
DP - Group Facilitation Skills for Public Engagement : October 21st & 22nd, 2008 
IAP2 - Planning for Effective Public Participation : October 23rd & 24th, 2008

For more information please either visit www.dialoguepartners.ca and follow the links, OR, contact the Canadian Trainers Collective at cdntrainerscollectiveshaw [dot] ca .